Liverpool based IQBlade, the UK’s leading data-driven intelligence platform for the technology sector, has received a six figure follow-on investment from NPIF – Maven Equity Finance, managed by Maven Capital Partners and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.
The fund is delivered by MSIF working with Maven Capital Partners in the Liverpool City Region.
IQBlade originally secured an equity investment in 2017 from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and, as a result, has rapidly grown the business in both headcount and global demand for service.
IQBlade’s all-in-one SaaS platform provides data-driven B2B insights to enable technology companies to make smarter decisions and drive growth. The platform allows technology channel companies to identify prospects or other partners of interest based on specific criteria. Boasting features such as financial benchmarking and social analysis, they can be compared based on performance and growth potential.
Since securing the additional funding, IQBlade has appeared alongside a host of Fortune 500 companies in the 2019 Forrester Channel Technology Stack.
Used by global enterprises to leverage, manage and improve their indirect sales processes and partner programmes, the group of technologies sees IQBlade listed alongside leading brands including IBM, Oracle, Salesforce and SAP.
This latest milestone for IQBlade, with clients such as Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Ingram Micro, marks the start of a growth period for the business, following product enhancements team expansion and increased investment in sales and marketing.
Going forward, IQBlade will continue to expand and achieve throughout the global market, extending the growth of working partnerships and continuing to carry out live research through their academic links with Liverpool John Moores University.
Mark Basnett, Managing Director of Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) said: “I am delighted to see IQBlade benefit from further funding from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF). IQBlade is a great example of the type of business that the NPIF is designed to assist – ambitious, innovative companies that are continuing to grow and invest in the Liverpool City Region.”
Simon Thelwall-Jones, MSIF Investment Director, who delivered the investment on behalf of Maven Capital said: “I have always been impressed with how the management team at IQBlade operate. Their rapid growth and achievements over the past year are a direct result of hard-work and, extensive industry knowledge. It has been great to see the business go from strength to strength, and to be featured in the Forrester Channel Technology Stack is a huge achievement! I am excited to see what 2019 has in store for IQBlade.”
Antony Young, Founder and Director of IQBlade, said: “The investment from NPIF has enabled IQBlade to help more clients navigate significant changes throughout the marketplace, thus growing our global presence and recognition. The delivery of the funding, once again, was invaluable. I have truly been supported every step of the way.”
“Recognition from a global player like Forrester shows the IQBlade platform is moving forward fast in the field of data insight and intelligence. The IT market is evolving quickly and our product development roadmap is clearly mapped out to meet the needs of our customer base, who are already seeing great results.”
Grant Peggie, Director at British Business Bank, said: “We are pleased that the initial NPIF investment has supported IQ Blade’s impressive growth in both staff and global interest in its service. The company demonstrates how this funding can make a real and measurable difference to businesses across the Northern Powerhouse region and we look forward to seeing further growth with this follow-on investment.”
The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.
For more information about Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, please visit www.npif.co.uk.